


From Outsider's Perspective

by Kairi_Ruka



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, No Romance, Not Beta Read, POV Outsider, Self-Indulgent, Snippets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-24
Updated: 2020-09-24
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:55:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26636932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kairi_Ruka/pseuds/Kairi_Ruka
Summary: It might have been her sleep-deprived mind, but she swore Al stepped into a shady part of the sidewalk before vanishing completely, as if he was never there in the first place.Huh, she thought. Maybe wizards and witches were real after all.
Relationships: Ethan Nakamura & Alabaster Torrington, Howard Claymore & Alabaster Torrington
Comments: 3
Kudos: 18





	From Outsider's Perspective

**Author's Note:**

> All the property belongs to Rick Riordan, except maybe my OFC and I got no profit from this fic
> 
> Enjoy!

Elly looked up when she heard the front door got pushed open. Two boys, clearly friends, stepped inside side by side and bantered. One of them was shorter than the other, with black hair and dark eyes. His friend was almost a head taller than him, with reddish brown hair and unsettling green eyes.

For other people, it might seem weird to assess the boys so intently, but Elly was a writer and she liked to write her characters based on people she saw that day.

"We should be back at camp right now," the brunette said. "Luke will worry."

"He's worrying too much," replied the black-haired boy with a grin. "It's only, what? Three in the afternoon?"

"You think we can bribe him with food?"

"Probably. If not that, we can just sneak in. You can sneak us in through the, erm," the black-haired boy faltered for a moment when he realized they had reached the counter. "To the camp, I mean," he continued nonchalantly. His companion looked distinctly amused.

"Just shut up and order, Eth. We don't have all day," he said.

The boy -- Eth? -- shoved his friend. "How can I order if I shut up?" he protested. The brunette laughed and shoved him back before turning to Elly, who was still watching them with an amused expression.

"Sorry for Ethan," he said politely. "Sometimes he forgot he got rabies--"

Ethan shoved him again, this time a little harder, while cursing in a language Elly didn't recognize, but she smiled at them nonetheless.

"It's okay, boys, take your time," she replied with a chuckle.

When they finally placed their orders, Elly couldn't help but to notice they ordered three items on the menu, probably to bribe the Luke person they had mentioned earlier.

"You know Luke would flip out if we gave him the kids' meal, right?" The brunette -- Elly overheard Ethan called him Al -- questioned when she handed him the plastic bag for their take-outs while Ethan paid the price.

"Well, you can have it," replied Ethan easily as both of them headed to the exit. "Or steal the toy and give him the food without the box. That way he won't know it was a kids' meal."

"You're evil, seriously," Al responded with a laugh.

"Thanks, gotta keep up our appearances as the scary kids, am I right?" Ethan mused. "But honestly, Luke won't be mad. He probably will complain that we didn't bring him along, though."

After that, Elly couldn't hear what Al said as a tired looking young adult went to the counter. But somehow, she couldn't brush their interaction out of her mind.

As if they weren't fully human. Which was ridiculous. It was probably just her hyperactive mind that went too far again.

㈠

The second time she saw one of them was almost half a year later. It was Al, alone and looked exhausted but determined. Like the first time, he only ordered some take-outs. His body language seemed anxious and restless, as his green eyes darted from corner to corner and his fingers drummed on the counter with the speed of a pianist.

When she handed him his order, he quickly paid and thanked her before quickly bringing himself outside.

It might have been her sleep-deprived mind, but she swore Al stepped into a shady part of the sidewalk before vanishing completely, as if he was never there in the first place.

Huh, she thought. Maybe wizards and witches were real after all.

She never really forgot about Al and Ethan, but after months without them coming back, they got pushed to the very back of her mind as she continued on living.

㈠

It was almost a few years when Al came again, but this time he neither looked happy or anxious. No, he looked … angry. And exhausted, and scared.

Elly didn't even have the chance to ask the boy what had happened to him and his friends all this time. He took his order, practically scattered his money on the counter and left the place like a whirlwind.

What concerned her more, was the scars Al had adorned on every inch of his exposed skin -- arms, neck and face. Was he one of the victims of the massive storm in Manhattan quite a while ago?

What did he lose, to the point that his eyes looked so broken?

㈠

It was another year later that Elly crossed path with the green-eyed boy again. This time he wasn't quite alone. Surprisingly, not alone didn't mean he was with his friend. Instead, a grown-up man with a permanent unimpressed look on his face and dark brown hair accompanied him.

They stopped at the door together and partially blocked the entrance, for what Elly could see as arguing. Al rolled his eyes and threw his hands to the air while the other man raised a brow, still looking unimpressed. Al's dad? His uncle?

"Yeah, well, look what good it did last time!" Al exclaimed, loud enough for everyone in the joint to hear -- which luckily, wasn't much. It seemed like the boy always managed to come when the place was deserted of customers.

"Kid, calm down," the older man placated. "You get your food and we can talk about this on the way back."

Al rolled his eyes again and muttered something as he walked to the counter. Elly couldn't hear what he said, but she saw his mouth move and immediately knew the boy said, "Yes, _dad_." sarcastically. She suppressed a smile as he pointed to the menu.

"It's nice to see you again," Elly said after she relayed his order to the kitchen. And even though she barely knew the boy before her, her words were sincere. For some reasons, Al's weird appearances in the joint had made him unforgettable.

Al's green eyes snapped up in surprise and Elly could see more scars had adorned his face, and he looked more weary. But at least he didn't look mad and scared anymore. He seemed determined, similar with the expression on his second visit, which looked nice on the teenager.

"You…," he trailed with a frown. "It seems that I always come here right when it's your shift."

Elly laughed at the matter-of-fact comment and nodded. "Some coincidence, eh?"

Al smiled thinly and then grimaced, as if recalling something unpleasant. "Sorry for the last time," he said. "I was … in a hurry."

That was an understatement, Elly thought, but she decided not to share her thoughts. She shrugged instead.

"It's alright. Everyone has that kind of day," she replied nonchalantly. "You won't believe how much hurried people that I have to serve every single day. Speaking of, you don't seem to be in that kind of hurry, this time."

It wasn't a question, but Al looked like he was frantically searching for a reasoning. "No," he finally said with a vague wave of his hand. "Not this time."

Usually, that kind of answer would pique Elly's interest even more, but for some reason, her mind supplied that it was a very reasonable and clear answer, so she just nodded and the green-eyed subtly exhaled in relief.

"Right," she said slowly, feeling a little drugged. But she quickly brushed it off on sleep deprivation. She hadn't slept for two days to finish her manuscript. She shook her head once to clear her mind and gestured to the older man -- who looked distinctly bored as he watched the traffic outside. "Hey, I don't mean to be nosey, but is he your father?"

Al's eyes widened comically at that, and Elly was torn between laughing or apologizing. But on a more serious note, she was rather wary of the man. He didn't look like an ideal father figure and more like a stern university professor. Then there were the boy's scars to be taken into consideration. Where did he get all of those?

"No! No," Al sputtered. "He's just a … _relative_." his tone when he said the last word was borderline wary, as if he challenged her to object his answer. She didn't. But she also didn't drop the subject.

"Are you and him … okay?" she asked, eyeing a scar right on the boy's left cheek. "He's not a jerk, is he?"

"What- oh." Al just seemed to realize what she implied. He shook his head and gestured at his array of scars. "No, these are from an accident … it was long ago. Cla- err, he was actually the one who helped me."

Elly didn't look too convinced, but she dropped the subject. "Alright, then," she said, right when his order finished. She wrapped it up in the usual plastic bag and handed it to him. He placed some money on the counter and as the cashier was busy counting them, he concentrated and vaguely waved his hand once again, making Elly's mind blurred for a second, obscuring her memories of their conversation. He didn't fully erase them, because that would be a blatant violation and her mother wouldn't agree. Probably just going to give him more trouble. Elly didn't look even a tad suspicious.

"Thank you for coming to our joint," she formally said with a sincere smile. "Oh, and if I remember correctly, your name … it's Al, isn't it?"

Al stopped in his tracks. He looked back, and there was a melancholic expression on his face, as if he remembered some bittersweet memories.

"It's what my friends called me," he confirmed. Then, after a few moments of a contemplating expression, he added, "Alabaster is my full name."

"Alabaster," Elly echoed and she smiled. "I'll remember that the next time you come here."

Alabaster nodded in regard and headed to the door, where his relative was still standing and watching the pavement outside. He only looked away when Alabaster was close enough to him.

Elly watched as the man asked what took Alabaster so long. Then the boy answered with something Elly couldn't tell, since he was standing with his back to her. After that, both males moved slightly in a way that made her sure they were simultaneously rolling their eyes. The man rested his hand on Al's shoulder and led them both out.

This time, the boy made a pointed move to look at her before they stepped into the very same shady spot outside the building and disappeared.

Elly's logic reasoned to her that she just didn't see them walk away while her sight was slightly covered by a parking truck. But there was another part of her brain that said Alabaster really could do magic.

She smiled to herself. Somehow, the thought didn't bother her much. She only hoped that the next time she met Al, he would go back to the happy-go-lucky boy he deserved to be.

**Author's Note:**

> The Alabaster tag is lacking of content that's not rated E, so ... yeah


End file.
